Considering the polarising topic of software patents and related IP litigation is coming up a lot lately, I felt the need to write a few words on this thing called 'bias'. This word is being thrown around a lot, but I get the feeling many people are unclear as to what, exactly, it means. Because contrary to popular opinion, there's nothing wrong with being being biased. In fact, there's no such thing as unbiased blogging (or even unbiased journalism).

The Wall Street Journal used to be a good newspaper. The policy used to be that the editorial page was unabashedly biased, but that was OK because that is what an editorial page is for. The rest of the newspaper was expected to report the news, whether or not it agreed with what was being said on the editorial page (and often it didn't).

Then Rupert Murdoch took it over.

Now the entire newspaper is an editorial page. Basically the print edition of Fox News for those with an IQ over 40. For those with an IQ under 40, there's the New York Post, Murdoch's other New York newspaper.

Actually, the entire US newspaper industry has declined. I remember when you could spend an hour or more to read a good newspaper. Now two minutes is easily enough - after all, how long do you need to contemplate the football scores, weather, your horoscope, UFO sightings and classified ads?